Earliest classical music recording of Handel's Israel in Egypt at the Crystal Palace

Background. Handel's Israel in Egypt is a biblical oratorio for which Handel wrote the music in one month, between 1 October and 1 November 1738, drawing its text from selected Old Testament passages. The work was performed at the Crystal Palace Handel Festival in June 1888. This event involved a massive choir of 4,000 singers, whose combined voices, distance from the recording device, and the venue's acoustics posed a challenge for the recording technology available at the time.

Recording Conditions. The recording was made using wax cylinder technology, which was in its experimental phase in 1888. The device was positioned approximately 100 yards from the singers. The combination of the large number of voices, the distance, and the specific acoustics of the Crystal Palace resulted in a dim initial sound that has degraded over time.

Historical Significance. This excerpt from the oratorio is widely regarded as the earliest known recording of classical music that still exists. It represents a pivotal moment in the history of sound recording, capturing a large-scale choral performance during the early development of phonograph cylinders.